Can Michigan State Men's Basketball Turn Around After Last few Seasons?

Michigan State men's basketball's returning sophomores will look to shine.

Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo reacts to a play against Purdue during the second half of quarterfinal of Big Ten tournament at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minn. on Friday, March 15, 2024. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK

Tom Izzo's coaching tenure at Michigan State is a pretty big deal. He's been at it for ages, steering the Spartans through thick and thin.

Born on Jan. 30, 1955, in Iron Mountain, Michigan, Izzo was into basketball from the get-go. He played at Northern Michigan University before diving into coaching, first as an assistant at his old school and then joining Michigan State's squad in 1983. That's where he learned the ropes under the legendary coach Jud Heathcote.

In 1995, Izzo snagged the head coaching gig, kicking off a crazy successful run. His coaching style? Tough as nails, with a heavy emphasis on teamwork and grinding it out.

This approach paid off big time, with eight Final Four trips and even nabbing the NCAA championship in 2000.

But lately, things haven't been all sunshine and rainbows. The Spartans have been stumbling, especially in the 2023-24 season when they had a rough NCAA Tournament run.

Now, as Izzo's coaching career winds down, he's got to pull off a major comeback. A "turnaround year" isn't just about shutting up the haters; it's about putting a nice bow on his coaching legacy.

To make this happen, Izzo needs to shake things up. He's got to recruit some top-notch talent, come up with fresh game plans and get his players hyped up and ready to play.

Sure, it's going to be tough, but Izzo's been through the wringer before. He's tough as nails and knows how to get the best out of his players. So, as the season nears with each passing month, Spartans fans are crossing their fingers and hoping that Izzo can work his magic once again, bringing Michigan State back to its former glory and ending his coaching career on the highest of notes.

Wrapping up his coaching career with a deep tournament run or even a win would be the perfect way to do it. Most of Izzo's starters are gone from last season, and who knows? Maybe with a new squad he can go all the way.

The returning sophomores are a strong class and might just have enough to go all the way.

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